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Utility's tree work upsets north county residents

Traffic makes its way west Thursday morning, April 17. A number of grandfather oak trees were cut down along the 12000 block of NE Jacksonville Road recently to make way for power poles and some trees were trimmed back to make the power lines more safe and accessible by repairmen.

Published: Friday, April 25, 2014 at 5:54 p.m.

Last Modified: Friday, April 25, 2014 at 5:54 p.m.

The scenery along a portion of Northeast Jacksonville Road is a little less cluttered these days, and some people are upset about it.

Crews hired by Duke Energy have cut down or significantly trimmed a number of large oak trees along the western side of the roadway, as the company upgrades its power lines and relocates them further back from traffic.

According to county documents, the project is part of Duke's plan to "storm-harden" its network along a 4.5-mile stretch between Anthony and Sparr.

"We're all disgusted by it," said Ed Hayden, who lives along the east side of Jacksonville Road. "Everybody thinks they're getting ready to turn it into a four-lane highway."

Duke Energy spokesman Sterling Ivey said the project required some "vegetation management" work in order to ensure the power would continue to flow smoothly to the area.

The recent cutting comes not long after CSX Transportation did similar tree removal along almost three miles on the east side of Jacksonville Road, Hayden noted.

"The wind blows through here like a funnel," the Anthony resident said. "It's a regular dust bowl. All those trees that were 100 years old are gone."

Hayden said neighbors saw the contractor's trucks in the area weeks ago, and the clearing work slowly progressed.

Records show Duke has requested right-of-way access from the county for the stretch between Northeast 95th Street and 140th Street, although the permit by the county for the work in question narrows that to the area from 105th Lane and 120th Street.

Hayden recalled that he and others began calling county officials to find out what was happening in early April, when it looked like the bigger trees were being targeted. Within two days, he said, the contractor picked up the pace.

"They came out here with a fleet of trucks," Hayden said. "We saw they were mutilating everything."

Besides what happened to the trees, residents are further troubled by the lack of responsiveness from county officials since the initial contact earlier this month, Hayden added.

For instance, one neighbor was told by the crews that the untouched side of the tree over his land could not be trimmed because it was outside the right of way. Yet down the road, a tree hanging over another person's property was trimmed.

Hayden recalled that county staffers told him there would be no work on his side of Jacksonville Road. Yet crews have dug holes right up to his property line to relocate poles for guy wires.

"The worst thing is we can't get any answers," he said.

In an email, Duke's spokesman explained why the trimming and tree removal was necessary.

"Overgrown or improperly planted vegetation under or near power lines poses a potential safety hazard and threatens power reliability," Ivey said. "We routinely trim trees and manage vegetation with herbicides to keep our transmission lines free of possible interferences. Residents sometimes are upset at the results, but the work clearly is a matter of safety and reliability."

Ivey added that tree branches striking against power lines is the leading cause of brief short-circuiting — as evidenced by flickering lights, for example — as well as major power outages during thunderstorms or periods of high-velocity winds.

County officials approved Duke's permit for the project in January. That included authorization to remove or pare back the trees. Duke's plans indicate that at least 24 trees would either be taken down or trimmed.

Despite the long, leafy canopy along the route, that section of Jacksonville Road is not a county-designated scenic road, which would entitle it to heightened protection.

According to documents, the permit expires Sunday, April 27.

The county engineer's office pointed out that the work was a continuation of earlier trimming Duke had performed around its lines further north of the site in question.

Also considered in approving the project were weighing the benefits to the public with those of the affected landscape, compliance with the county Land Development Code and minimum safety regulations outlined by federal transportation authorities and the potential cost or impact were the lines not realigned to an appropriate position, officials said.

The current project recalls an incident in 2009 when Progress Energy, which eventually merged with Duke in July 2012, removed trees without a permit.

Progress' crews hacked away vegetation along a 12-mile stretch of its utility easement on State Road 40, despite being told not to by the property owner, the Florida Department of Transportation.

That work included cutting two large oak trees down to 12-feet-high, which was the company standard. The trees, then rooted near the Appleton Museum of Art, were estimated to be between 40 years old and 60 years old.

A company spokesman told the Star-Banner at the time that Progress, although not wanting to cut down the trees, went forward because it had to ensure the reliability of its system to its customers.

Later, the two oaks were removed completely.

According to FDOT spokesman Steve Olson, the power company offset the removal by planting about seven live oak trees in the SR 40 median between the city golf course and Six Gun Plaza.

<p>The scenery along a portion of Northeast Jacksonville Road is a little less cluttered these days, and some people are upset about it.</p><p>Crews hired by Duke Energy have cut down or significantly trimmed a number of large oak trees along the western side of the roadway, as the company upgrades its power lines and relocates them further back from traffic.</p><p>According to county documents, the project is part of Duke's plan to "storm-harden" its network along a 4.5-mile stretch between Anthony and Sparr.</p><p>"We're all disgusted by it," said Ed Hayden, who lives along the east side of Jacksonville Road. "Everybody thinks they're getting ready to turn it into a four-lane highway."</p><p>Duke Energy spokesman Sterling Ivey said the project required some "vegetation management" work in order to ensure the power would continue to flow smoothly to the area.</p><p>The recent cutting comes not long after CSX Transportation did similar tree removal along almost three miles on the east side of Jacksonville Road, Hayden noted.</p><p>"The wind blows through here like a funnel," the Anthony resident said. "It's a regular dust bowl. All those trees that were 100 years old are gone."</p><p>Hayden said neighbors saw the contractor's trucks in the area weeks ago, and the clearing work slowly progressed.</p><p>Records show Duke has requested right-of-way access from the county for the stretch between Northeast 95th Street and 140th Street, although the permit by the county for the work in question narrows that to the area from 105th Lane and 120th Street.</p><p>Hayden recalled that he and others began calling county officials to find out what was happening in early April, when it looked like the bigger trees were being targeted. Within two days, he said, the contractor picked up the pace.</p><p>"They came out here with a fleet of trucks," Hayden said. "We saw they were mutilating everything."</p><p>Besides what happened to the trees, residents are further troubled by the lack of responsiveness from county officials since the initial contact earlier this month, Hayden added.</p><p>For instance, one neighbor was told by the crews that the untouched side of the tree over his land could not be trimmed because it was outside the right of way. Yet down the road, a tree hanging over another person's property was trimmed.</p><p>Hayden recalled that county staffers told him there would be no work on his side of Jacksonville Road. Yet crews have dug holes right up to his property line to relocate poles for guy wires.</p><p>"The worst thing is we can't get any answers," he said.</p><p>In an email, Duke's spokesman explained why the trimming and tree removal was necessary.</p><p>"Overgrown or improperly planted vegetation under or near power lines poses a potential safety hazard and threatens power reliability," Ivey said. "We routinely trim trees and manage vegetation with herbicides to keep our transmission lines free of possible interferences. Residents sometimes are upset at the results, but the work clearly is a matter of safety and reliability."</p><p>Ivey added that tree branches striking against power lines is the leading cause of brief short-circuiting — as evidenced by flickering lights, for example — as well as major power outages during thunderstorms or periods of high-velocity winds.</p><p>County officials approved Duke's permit for the project in January. That included authorization to remove or pare back the trees. Duke's plans indicate that at least 24 trees would either be taken down or trimmed.</p><p>Despite the long, leafy canopy along the route, that section of Jacksonville Road is not a county-designated scenic road, which would entitle it to heightened protection.</p><p>According to documents, the permit expires Sunday, April 27.</p><p>The county engineer's office pointed out that the work was a continuation of earlier trimming Duke had performed around its lines further north of the site in question.</p><p>Also considered in approving the project were weighing the benefits to the public with those of the affected landscape, compliance with the county Land Development Code and minimum safety regulations outlined by federal transportation authorities and the potential cost or impact were the lines not realigned to an appropriate position, officials said.</p><p>The current project recalls an incident in 2009 when Progress Energy, which eventually merged with Duke in July 2012, removed trees without a permit.</p><p>Progress' crews hacked away vegetation along a 12-mile stretch of its utility easement on State Road 40, despite being told not to by the property owner, the Florida Department of Transportation.</p><p>That work included cutting two large oak trees down to 12-feet-high, which was the company standard. The trees, then rooted near the Appleton Museum of Art, were estimated to be between 40 years old and 60 years old.</p><p>A company spokesman told the Star-Banner at the time that Progress, although not wanting to cut down the trees, went forward because it had to ensure the reliability of its system to its customers.</p><p>Later, the two oaks were removed completely.</p><p>According to FDOT spokesman Steve Olson, the power company offset the removal by planting about seven live oak trees in the SR 40 median between the city golf course and Six Gun Plaza.</p><p><i>Contact Bill Thompson at 352-867-4117 or bill.thompson@starbanner.com.</i></p>